Nickelodeon Signs Chrysler as Big Sponsor

Chrysler is going all out trying to pitch its redesigned minivans, particularly the new Town & Country. Today, the company unveiled an advertising and promotional partnership deal with kid-friendly cable network Nickelodeon. In many ways, Chrysler is drawing a line in the sandbox for what is essentially the last great American minivan. Chrysler’s minivans remain the most popular with minivan drivers, but Honda’s Odyssey and Toyota’s Sienna are creeping closer. The foreign competition has essentially forced Ford and GM out of the minivan game, turning the domestics’ attention toward crossovers: SUVs with minivan-like interiors.

It makes a lot of sense for Chrysler to target Nickelodeon; my kids have watched that channel for many years, and frequently (especially when they were younger) would ask me for products they’d seen advertised between “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Jimmy Neutron.” Chrysler is probably hoping that when it pitches Nickelodeon playing on satellite TV in the Town & Country, not to mention the new “Swivel & Go” seats, kids will beg their parents to go out for a test drive.